About Dr Tiriki Onus
Dr Tiriki Onus is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung artist, academic and filmmaker. Tiriki’s research specialism is in the histories and practices of Indigenous arts in south-eastern Australia. He currently holds the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous), as well as being the Head of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts in Cultural Development, and Co-Director of the Research Unit for Indigenous Arts and Cultures, in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne. Tiriki’s work fosters innovation in research, development, advocacy, representation and inclusion of Indigenous arts and cultural practices and practitioners in the academy. Tiriki completed his PhD Biganga: Mapping Paths Back to Knowing in 2025.
Publications
Healy, J., Long, R., Treloyn, S., Onus, T., Murray, L., & AO, M. L. (2025). “How we bring Indigenous knowledges into the academy is as important as the knowledge itself.” Pursuit. Informit.T2025081300005601400105602. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.T2025081300005601400105602
Onus, T. and Treloyn, S. (2024) ‘To Sound the Drum: A Dialogue on Value and Change in Relation to First Nations Music and Research in the Academy’, in Macarthur, S., Szuster, J., and Watt, P. (eds) Palgrave Critical University Studies. 1st edn. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-50388-7_8.
McPherson, M. and Onus, T. (2024) ‘It’s about Place: Inside Indigenising the curriculum’, in Lemon, N. (ed.) Prioritising wellbeing and self-care in higher education : how we can do things differently to disrupt silence. 1 st. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003457510-12.
Onus, T. et al. (2024) ‘Biganga bayiya (Singing the Possum): Reclaiming Indigenous knowledge in the academy’, in Edmonds, F., THORNER, S., and Clarke, M. (eds) Ngargee: Southeast Australian Aboriginal Art – Culture-Making and Curating for ‘Country’. 1st edn. Aboriginal Studies Press.
Onus, T. (2020) ‘Interlude by Tiriki Onus’, in Harris, A. (ed.) Representing Australian Aboriginal Music and Dance 1930–1970. 1st edn. Bloomsbury Academic. doi:10.5040/9781501362965.ch-int.